Regular-Ass Joe: A Georgia Death Race Finish
- Joe Miller
- Apr 13, 2017
- 16 min read
I started out writing a race report that just recapped my Georgia Death Race experience in the most boring way possible. I am sure most of you do not want to hear the race details mile by mile. You want an interesting perspective or something that may help you in some future ultra or tough situation. You are also probably tired of seeing the race reports from the elite runners in all the magazines and their strategies (they will not work for 90% of us except for the mental toughness part). Instead, you want some average (okay maybe a little above average) runner's perspective. So, I am going take you through the process of me becoming “Regular-ass Joe.”
The idea of signing up for the Georgia Death Race was there since my friend and fellow ultra-runner Tom Hurd told me the horror story of his DNF at the Georgia Death Race. He put in my head that this was a super tough race and his words were literally “it’s no joke, bro!” From that point, my thoughts were “I am going to make it through this race.” Last summer the entry period opened and I jumped on the race. I felt pretty good after finishing the Pikes Peak Ultra 50 mile and pacing for 50 miles at the Leadville 100. I was actually thinking, “I live in the mountains, so this hilly course will be no problem!”
My training consisted of increased mileage and elevation change. Right off the bat, I was struggling and my ego was easily put in check. I had been preaching to my clients and friends about quality training and understanding how you feel, but I did not practice any of it. I thought I had good nutrition and sleep habits but they were off. I thought I was following the 80/20 rule - 80% easy aerobic runs and 20% harder runs - but I was not. I was not staying humble and understanding my limits, I thought I could be elite . Admittedly, I have never finished an ultra at this point where I felt I could keep running if I had to. The Dead Horse UItra 50 miler in Moab was when I realized all my faults. I did not sleep well prior to the race, I did not eat, I ran too fast, and I got lost (which I never do). To add insult, I hurt my foot during the race and had to drop out. After that race, I refocused myself to moderation and listening to my body.
I concentrated on how my body responded to the training. I knew I needed to be stronger and more mobile, so I added 2 strength workouts and 2 mobility workouts a week. My business partner Sam, talked to me about nasal breathing and how that could control your intensity and let you know you are not working too hard. I used nasal breathing as my test of keeping my effort low and not pushing it. Right around this time my friend Jess came off the waitlist for the Georgia Death Race. She had struggled with longer races with similar elevation profiles, so I shared my plan with her to help her train as well. I set up my running on a 4 week cycle. 3 weeks of work and one recovery week. I progressed the miles by no more than 10% a week and the elevation change as well. Every time, I thought I was “awesome” I would go on a hard course to re-humble myself . Let’s just say I was not awesome and I was most assuredly humbled!.
My plan was do an ultra per month with at least a 200 foot per mile gain and 200 foot per mile loss. The injured foot from Dead Horse continued to bother me intermittently but did not interfere with my running. I worked on mobility and control constantly.
The first ultra was the Sawmill Fat Ass in Golden, Colorado. Human Potential Series puts this on as part of the membership (I highly recommend being a member because you get 10% off races and Fat Ass privileges). This would be two loops of 17.5 miles each with 3,500 feet of gain and loss for each loop (14,000 feet in elevation change). Only about a half dozen runners did both loops. The first loop felt pretty good and of course I was super cocky. I had remained with the front pack and was doing well. However, when I began the second loop I felt more tired than cocky. I was running with a young woman (I define that as half my age, which she was). She took it easy on me in the beginning but about 5 miles into the second loop she took off. At that moment I realized, you just run what you can and good for her. Also, the winds had picked up to 20 mph with gust up to 35 mph. I would finish in around 7 hours and 15 minutes, a good 15+ minutes behind her. Surprisingly, I was happy with my performance because I felt good driving the 2-hours back to the Springs and could begin training the next week. I still wanted to beat her deep down inside but that feeling was less dominant than usual.
The start of the Sawmill Fat Ass in Golden, CO
The next ultra was the Ponderosa Fat Ass put on by Colorado Runners of Ultra Distance. A 26 Mile+ course runs through Garden of the Gods, up the incline, up to Mount Manitou, down Barr Trail, up Red Mountain, up Iron Mountain, through Section 16, through Red Rocks Open Space, and back to the start. Oh yeah, Zach Miller and Brandon Stapanowich were running this too (they looked like they were on stroll during this Fat Ass the whole time). I started with the intent to keep moving and not push too hard. The Garden of the Gods section was pretty good and even the approach to the incline was not too bad. The incline hurt me some and I was passed by 3 people. After that point, I met up with two runners and kept up with them the whole time. It was nice running with other people and really got me focused on easy running and then I would see Zach and Brandon with smiles and effortless running and think, “ I am just Regular-ass Joe.” I finished in just under 6 hours and we ran 28 miles. I felt good afterward and was able to train again in a few days. At this point, I knew I just needed to run what I could.
My training for the last month was slowly becoming harder and my body needed more time to recover. I listened to my body like a good average runner (or any runner for that matter) and recovered. I did my own 50K this month that really taxed me but finished feeling good. I ran the 2 mile Neilson Challenge with all my gear and then went straight into the mountains. I made sure my runs had a goal which was not just miles but feeling good as well. I was able to breathe through my nose mostly or use that technique for recovery. Courses that were super tough for me before were now tolerable. I was stronger and feeling better about my humility. However, there was still that small voice inside saying “You could maybe place top 10 at the Georgia Death Race.” Then I would stop and say, I am going to run what feels right and if I am top 10 or bottom 10, so be it. I am “Regular-ass Joe”, no more and no less.
Race week came quickly. I flew to North Carolina both excited and little nervous. The Georgia Death Race is one of those races that there is a good chance you will not finish no matter how good you are. Things happen that you can and cannot control. These kinds of races are the ones I really look forward to more than the flat fast ones. I stepped off the plane in Raleigh and the wave of oppressive humidity hit me hard. Yeah, all that mountain training did not prepare me for the thicker air. Good thing I would have a few days to adjust. I made it to Southern Pines and met up with my crew, Randy Sharpe. Randy was a newbie to the crewing game but he would have some mentoring from Travis Alfrey an accomplished ultra-runner and crew for my friend Jess. It was good to see Randy and his family again. I concentrated on being “Regular-ass Joe “ and not a “Super Joe.” I kept thinking back to something a former Special Operations medic once told me. He said, “The key to making it through Special Forces selection is to not be first or last, but embrace the middle.”
Randy and I on the road trip. Just two cool straight guys driving to Georgia.
For race check-in, we had to have mandatory gear: weatherproof jacket, thermal top, beanie, gloves, headlamp with extra batteries, and a space blanket. At the check-in, I saw all types of people: Ones that looked like the “prototypical” trail runner and ones that looked like they spent most of the time in the gym (I place myself somewhere in between this group) or drinking beer (there were many runners pounding beers during check-in). The array of people you see at the races is always amazing but I was especially surprised at this race because of the difficulty. Who am I to judge though? We left check-in and went to the cabin at the starting line which was about an hour's drive from the finish line. Randy and I settled in and partook of a beer (yeah life is too short not to enjoy some beer). It would be an early morning the next day as we had to check in at 4:30 am for a 5 am start. I slept maybe 4-5 hours that night.
Travis drove Jess and I to the check-in where we received our last piece of mandatory gear, a railroad spike (we would exchange this for the engraved “finisher” spike at the end). With my ¾ filled water bladder, 500 ml extra bottle, and the mandatory gear I had an extra 8-10 lbs. of gear. I was fairly calm at the start and ready to enjoy the day in the woods and hills. There were 380 runners registered for the race with 278 showing up. By the end of the day only 184 would finish.
The race started promptly at 5 am. I was jogging easy in the dark. I do not normally run in the dark much. I just had to take it easy and not hurt myself till the sun came up. The first ½ mile was run on the road and then we hit the trails. It was slightly downhill at first with rocks and roots. The pace was easy and I felt good about it. I would pass a few runners and was passed by some as well. I was in the middle of the pack at this point, right on cue with my “Regular-ass Joe” plan. Within 1-2 miles, we started the climb to Coosa Bald, the highest point of the race at 4,280 feet. The climb wasn’t too bad but there were steep sections. I walked then jogged intermittently. At this point, I passed some other runners that had started at 4 am (early start option for those who needed extra time). I felt bad for them because the middle of the pack caught them 3-4 miles into the race and they had already been at it for over an hour. I only hoped they would keep moving and make it in the end.
About 1-2 miles from the top, thick fog settled in. We could not see but a foot or two in front of us. The moisture was so thick, the trees began to “rain” on us. After a bit, I started to descend into the first Aid Station. The fog lightened-up and I said out loud “We made it to the first Aid Station before dropping, we are doing good!” From this point, I just wanted to make it Aid station to Aid Station.
The course was still technical and up and down till the next point where we could see our crew. I ran with a group of experienced runners and luckily gathered some intel on the course. It was nice to run with other runners and get the feel for the course. I arrived at the first crew spot. It was about 13 miles into the race and we had climbed about 5,000 feet by now. I felt good and stocked up on some spare food just in case. It was nice seeing my crew and people cheering us on but I still had a long way to go. However the next Aid Station was only about 2.5 miles away. More of the same trail but it was light now and the view was amazing. The mountains in Northern Georgia are not the same as Colorado but they have a beauty all their own. I arrived at Aid Station #2 (15.5 miles, 6,000 feet in gain) without a hitch and surprisingly I had not tripped once (that will change soon). Two Aid Stations down and only 8 more to go!!
Coming in to Fish Gap Aide Station
More of the same in the next section, up and down and technical, but this time I tripped on a hidden root. I think all the gym work paid off because I caught myself in a push-up, popped right up and kept running with only a small scratch. Whew, I dodged a bullet there. That could have easily ended my race.
I was passed by 3 runners here but I also passed more of the early starters and other runners who went out too fast. I really did not care about that, but again I felt bad for the runners struggling at this point in the race. However, I needed to run my race. I was longing to get to the Aid Station because during this section I was running alone with runners in sight but not actually with me for most of it. We reached a volunteer on the course that directed us to an out and back. One and a half miles to the Aid Station and it was mostly downhill (which meant we would have to come up on the way back). I started to see runners coming up in this section and I was feeling better. I arrived into the Aid Station (21.5 miles with about 8,000 feet in gain) with the crowd cheering and that was awesome! My crew was there and that was even better. I was doing well and that just gave me a mental boost. I restocked here, applied more body lube (this is a not judgement zone), and took off up the hill. I made it to Aid Station #3 and only 7 more to go.
I had been running with or in front of Jon up to this point and he passed me during this section but I would catch up. We also started running with Shannon at this point. We would stick together or near each other till the end. More of the same up and down in this section and I would play cat and mouse with 4 runners. I made the climb out of the Aid Station and it actually was not as bad as I thought, jogging 90% of it. It was more of the same terrain for the first half of this section. The next half would have more pine trees but the sun was coming out of the clouds by now and I could feel the temperature and humidity rise. I had a small low point here as the climbing was a little harder and more frequent but I just kept breathing through the nose and kept moving. I would get caught on roots a couple more times but no falling, yay!!! I arrived at the next Aid Station (28 miles and 10,000 feet in gain) with a mandatory gear check. That crap was heavy but it definitely can save your life. The railroad spike was just a way to make it harder on us but I welcomed it. I refueled with bacon, a piece of quesadilla, and filled up with water. I was off again! Aid Station #4 down and only 6 more to go.
The next section was a little more exposed but I would still be running with Jon and Shannon. We had some more drawn out climbs in this section. I was feeling good and just trying to keep going. Here is where I caught up to another runner. He was struggling a little. We had a conversation and he said “I think I went out a little fast, because I am feeling it now.” He said “I think we are like in 30th place or something like that though.” My response was “Don’t worry about that, just run your race. If you do that, you’ll finish and be happy with your results.” He might have listened or understood but shortly after that I left him and did not see him again. During this section we crossed the river on a beautiful bridge. There were hikers all around and the temperature dropped a little here, giving a reprieve from the heat. I made it to the next Aid Station (33 miles, 12,000 in elevation gain). A quick turnaround and I was off. Aid Station #5 down and 5 more to go!
Getting some nutrition at one of the awesome aide station
In this next section I would hit two Aid Stations with the second one the last place I would see my crew till the finish. I had an extra pair of shoes there but my feet were doing well and my Altra Superiors were doing the job just fine. It was more up and down and back and forth with Jon, Shannon, and one other runner. The downhills were starting to be a little tough on the legs but I just tried to stay relaxed. I reached the next Aid Station (41 miles, 13,500 elevation gain) feeling a little tired. A grilled cheese and bacon sandwich really hit the spot. I filled my water and grabbed a fig bar for emergency energy. I was off again. Aid Station #6 down and 4 more to go.
At this point I was 90% confident I would finish as I was more than 6 hours ahead of cutoff time.
The next section was flat to slight downhill for 80% with a slow, long , 2 mile climb to my crew. Jon, Shannon, and one other runner were with me and I just tried to stay with them. They had a good pace going and I felt really good. We were on a State Park road now but it was pretty rocky. I hit couple of sharp rocks hard but kept going. We were passed by a runner going up the hill (the funny thing was that in about 10 miles we would pass him as he ran out steam and could not run hills anymore). I arrived at Winding Stairs Gap (47 miles, and 14,300 feet in elevation gain). I really did not want to sit down during the race as that can be the momentum killer. However, I needed to eat an avocado so I sat down to get off the feet while I ate. My crew was awesome.
I asked about Jess. The last time they saw her was at mile 21, where she was around 1.5-2.0 hours behind me. The section after that was tough from there to Winding Stair Gap, so I told them she‘d probably slow down some as I did. I told Randy to meet me between 8-10 pm at the finish and to let me know how Jess was doing if he could. Travis handed me my pack (filled the water for me); I stood up and started running.
The next section was downhill for the next 2.5 miles and then flat for another 2 miles. This section is where I would have more exposed running and running in a valley. The temperature was definitely going up and I could feel the heat. Jon and Shannon were still there and we passed a few runners. We would run in a field for a bit and we hit some sand on the trails. Here we caught the runner that passed us going uphill and he could not run at this point. We came into Jake Bull, the next Aid Station (56 miles and 15,300 feet in elevation gain). I left quickly before Jon and Shannon but they would catch me soon. Aid Station #8 down and 2 to go.
Jon, Shannon and I coming into Jake Bull aide station.
This next section would be mostly on pavement and Jeep road. I ran into two people on horseback a mile in but no issues with the horses and I was respectful to yield till they were off the trail. Jon and I ran together for a bit till Shannon caught up. We started climbing shortly after that and mostly power hiked, throwing in a jog here and there. This stretch was long and we were getting pretty desperate to find the Aid Station. We probably could have jogged more but we were trying conserve water and the energy needed for the big climbs at the end. We came upon some volunteers and this was the ultimate “pysch.” We thought they were the Aid Station but they were there to direct us to it, 1.5 miles away and there was a steady climb to get to it! We already felt like we were going forever and now another 1.5 miles to go. I decided to jog this last 1.5 miles as I was low on water and patience. We made it to the Aid Station (66 miles and 17,000 in elevation gain) before dark and I did a little limbo under and Jon did a little vault over the gate. We stocked up for the 9 miles to go and were off. Two other runners came into the Aid Station as we were leaving. We knew somebody would catch us and I thought good for them. Aid Station #9 down and one to go. The finish!
The next section started with a nice downhill and then rolling hills till right before we entered the Amicalola Falls Park. The sun was going down and we would need our headlamps soon. At this point I was in front and I was determined to jog flats and downhills as well as gradual uphills. I would power hike the steep hills. This section was toe stub and foot catch time. All three of us stubbed each foot and caught each foot at least once. We were lucky to escape without major injury or face planting. We were moving at a good pace but two runners would eventually catch us and pass us with 2 miles to go. We entered the park in the dark and proceeded to descend about 1000 feet in less than a mile. It was rocky and full of roots. We were cautious and by this time, I was ready for that descent to end. Since this was April fool’s day, our trick was when we finished the descent everyone was cheering like we finished but the joke was on us. We made a right turn and headed up Amicalola Falls. It was a slow steady ascent at first (felt like climbing Pikes Peak to me) and then we hit the 425 steps up to the top. I had used the incline in Manitou Springs as my training, so I powered up the stairs with Jon right behind. I used the handrails too, so we made it up to the top in no time.
Then we were in for a deep descent back down to the bottom. We hit the road for a ½ mile and then hit the last trail. On this trail, we encountered of a few back systems which just made our misery a little more prolonged. We wound our way down and then were surprised with a 1/8 of a mile ascent (WTF!!!). After the ascent, we wound back down and started to hear the cheering again. Jon, Shannon and I decided that we would cross the line together. We came down to the bottom and there was a decent-sized creek. The bridge was taped off so we had to go right through the creek to the finish. I powered through the creek and we all finished together.
Sixteen hours and 41 minutes it took us to finish 75.2 miles with 18,500 in elevation gain and 18,500 in elevation loss. Randy was waiting there for me with a big hug. He asked me how I felt and I said, “Good, just a little tired and I could run 25 more miles if I had to but I do not want to!” Most important I asked the race director “where is the beer man?” He gladly obliged me and I was happy to drink my two beers.
The three of us after the finish!
This was an awesome race with fantastic Aid Station volunteers and food. The race director and his staff are sadistic but they really know how to put on a race. There will be a lottery next year for entrants. This is necessary to race but it is not an intro ultra and you had better be prepared mentally and physically. My friend Jess completed the race in 23 hours and 10 minutes. She really toughed it out and has come a long way. Both of us finishing makes this my favorite race so far but It is truly a “one and done” for me. As the soreness subsided, I signed for the Uwharrie 100 miler in Troy, NC toward the end of October. As usual, I am so stupid, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Happy trail running from “Average-ass Joe!”
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